The Hardest Step
by ignavusd
Summary: The hardest steps in life may not always be conquering Leagues, or achieving huge accomplishments. Sometimes, as David Husk will soon find, the hardest steps are the ones that lead to your dreams.
1. Chapter 1

**The Hardest Step**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day in Blossom Village. The sun was a bit harsh but thanks to being on a small hill, the cool breeze always felt nice. This time of year was especially beautiful in this little town, where all the trees would blossom and you could see a bright variety. It was here in this village that one boy, David Husk lived.

David was quite the ordinary boy. He was a little on the tall side, with slightly tan skin from all the sun his village had. He had warm, brown eyes and an average build. While not extremely buff he could definitely hold his own in regards to traveling and hiking.

On the normal days of calm and sunny weather, David wore tan cargo shorts and a beige vest over a black shirt. David preferred to have several pockets for quick access to important things like Poke Balls, his PokeNav and even his map.

It was just a few weeks ago that David turned 17. He was actually pretty excited for this since his mom finally agreed to let him go on his very own Pokémon journey. His father passed away 8 years ago and ever since his mother was extremely overprotective. It took quite a bit of convincing but finally he was on his way to fulfilling his dream.

David wanted nothing more than to become a Kanto/Johto Elite Four member. He had watched battles of Lance, Bruno, Karen and the others for years now. The raw power they held, the elegance and fluidity in their moves, their sharp minds and quick tactics. It was everything he could have ever wished for. To be accepted among those ranks would be a gift.

Luckily David knew about many of the Pokémon in both the Johto and Kanto regions. His town lay maybe half a mile from the Tohjo Falls, which separated the two regions. This led to him encountering many different species from both areas. In fact, he had befriended a Pokémon native to the mountains over here, and was hoping to see if it'd be willing to join him.

Anyways, David was starting to ramble and lose track of time. He quickly ran around his room running a mental checklist on what he had to bring. "Let's see now; map of Kanto region, my handy PokeNav, fishing rod, Poke Balls, Potions, a couple of Antidotes, and a few sets of clothing. Looks like this is everything."

David made his way downstairs and went outside. He covered his eyes from the sun before taking a short walk through the trees towards the mountains. It was a familiar path to him so after 20 minutes he arrived at the entrance to a cave. Calling inside, he waited patiently. Soon, a gentle roar rang out and he smiled.

"Tyranitar are you in there? I have something to ask you!" yelled David as he tapped his foot. A few seconds later a monstrous Pokémon with green armor emerged from the cave. It gave quiet "Ty…" and walked over to David.

"Hey Tyranitar. I wanted to let you now I'm leaving on my journey now. It's taken a while but I finally convinced Mom! I just wanted to thank you for all the great times out here. I've had a lot of fun." said David.

"Ty Ty Tyrani Ty" replied Tyranitar, before reaching over and ruffling his hair.

"Anyways, I know you just hatched two eggs, both of them being healthy looking Larvitars. I was just wondering if you think one of them could be my partner for my journey? I've really put some thought into this." exclaimed David.

"Tyra Ty Ty Tyranitar." muttered the Tyranitar before giving another roar back into the cave. A few seconds later a pair of Larvitar walked out of it, helping each other walk. After getting close the mother explained quickly to them and they both nodded before looking at David.

It seemed as if they both wouldn't mind coming. Then again, looking at the two of them David noticed that one seem to cling to the mother's leg and the other just stood there staring at David. He realized that if he took the more timid one than he'd end up hurting it by battling.

"Hey Larvitar, I think I'll choose your brother. I know you wouldn't mind coming either, and I really appreciate that. Thing is, we're going to be battling a lot, and I don't want to force you to leave your mother. Okay?" said David.

"Lar Larvi Lar." said the smaller one. The older brother then walked over and smiled at David before rubbing his head into his hand. David smiled and stroked the top of Larvitar's head before taking out a Poke Ball.

"Listen Larvitar, I know you've never been captured but it's important. Otherwise while we're traveling any random trainer can come up and capture you and then I can't do anything about that. So I'm going to capture you so that you're mine, and then I'll let you out so we can walk together." explained David.

Larvitar just nodded his head before allowing the Poke Ball to be pressed into his head. He turned into a reddish light before being sucked into the Poke Ball. There wasn't even a shake as he accepted the capture immediately and it made a soft 'ping' sound. Reaching down, David picked up the Poke Ball before smiling and letting Larvitar out.

"Okay Larvitar, let's go back home real quick. We have a long day ahead of us." David said.

The duo had a nice time just relaxing and taking a walk back to town. It was still early in the morning so David had plenty of time. After about a half hour, David made it back home and spoke to his mother.

His mother used to be a Pokémon trainer herself, and kept a few Pokémon around the house for both company and protection. David had grown up around these his whole life, and trusted them completely. They were Ninetales, Wigglytuff and a Kadabra.

"Mom, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind having Kadabra teleport me to Pallet Town would you? It would normally take like a week to hike there, and I don't know how I could cross Tohjo Falls anyways." David muttered.

"Of course sweetie, that should be fine. I'd feel a lot better knowing that you'd be starting off from a safer town with much younger Pokémon around. Here near Mt. Silver it's a little rough for beginners." she replied. "Do you have everything packed and ready?"

"Yeah I did it before I left to go grab Larvitar." David retorted.

"Alright then. Have a wonderful trip and please try to call home every so often. You know I'll worry." she said anxiously.

A few moments later, David saw Kadabra raise her spoon before the world became a myriad of psychedelic colors and blobs. After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was just a second, he found himself on a dirt path in front of a sign saying 'Pallet Town'.

After letting Larvitar back out, as he had to return him for the teleporting, he gave a smile and said "Well Larvitar we're here in Pallet. Let's go see what Professor Oak can do for us."

"Larvi Lar." replied Larvitar.

And with that, they walked into the quaint little town, and took the first steps towards their dreams.

A/N:

This is my first attempt at a story after a long, long time. Please leave any and all criticisms. I'll do my best to try and listen to what everyone says, if anyone even does.


	2. Chapter 2

When one walks through Pallet Town, they expect to see lush country sides, gently sloping hills, and the occasional wild Pidgey or Rattata just roaming around. As David and Larvitar took a slow walk down the main dirt path, they saw all this and more.

From the nondescript homes and plain looking stores, it was easy to tell this town was a tight knit community. There was only maybe two dozen houses or so, and a smattering of local 'mom and pop' stores in the entire town. With the odd ranch here and there, Pallet Town seemed the poster boy for rural life.

Due to everything being so ordinary, when David and Larvitar saw a large ranch with a large windmill on it's property, they felt it okay to assume that was Professor Oak's place. Not wanting to waste a minute more, David sprang forward with a loud "C'mon!" and took off, leaving poor Larvitar to try and keep up.

After a minute the duo arrived at the front door. Trying to dust himself off, David tried to think of how he would approach this.

"Okay Larvitar, so we need to go in and speak to Professor Oak. He's the leading professor here in Kanto, and is renowned as one of the top professors in the world. It's been my dream to join the Elite Four, and to do that I'll need an amazing team of Pokemon and friends." David quietly said.

"Lar…..Larvi Lar Lar" was all David heard, and it seemed as if Larvitar too felt as if he agreed.

Knocking on the door, David shifted nervously from one foot to the other, and started tapping his foot. It was a nervous habit, and he had been doing it for as long as he remembered. After only a minute or two, an elderly looking man in a lab coat opened the door.

"Hello there, how may I help you?" Professor Oak exclaimed.

"Good morning Professor Oak, my name is David Husk. I wanted to know if I could discuss a Pokemon journey with you." said David as he put on his most confident face.

"I see. Well then, please come right this way, we'll sit down and talk momentarily." Prof. Oak replied.

Prof. Oak led David down a hallway into a large open library, with a nice couch and coffee table in the center of it. Gesturing for David to take a seat, he sat down himself and picked up his coffee mug which David hadn't noticed.

"So, what exactly did you wish to speak about with me?" stated Prof. Oak

"Well Professor, I've always wished to become strong enough to join the Kanto/Johto Elite Four. I've watched them battle for years, and my mother has finally agreed to let me go on my own journey to attempt this. I was wondering if you could help me in any way. I know you typically help the young trainers who are just starting off." explained David.

"That is true. I usually only sponsor the aspiring Trainers from Pallet and Viridian, and typically they are much younger." Prof. Oak rebutted.

"I know I'm a lot older than the typical trainer. But I feel that gives me a better chance at my journey than them. I have had longer to learn both patience and humility, along with more general knowledge about the world. Is there any way I can repay or work off the sponsorship? I know you are constantly receiving data from the Pokedexes." David reasoned.

"I've had the entirety of Kanto's regional Pokedex complete for quite some years now. I have sponsored many a trainer, and of those quite a few have been exceptional catchers and breeders. There isn't much left in terms of data." said Prof. Oak.

"Professor, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I need to do this. I need to show everyone that I can be one of the best. I need to reach my dreams. Is there no way you can sponsor me?" pleaded David.

"Lar Lar Larvi!" chimed in Larvitar, who went unnoticed as the two sat on the couches.

"Well, recently there has been a large influx of more Johto, Sinnoh and Hoenn Pokemon. Usually the stray Pokemon or pack wanders through but lately it seems as if they've made a more permanent presence here in Kanto. If you were to document the non-native Pokemon and the location found, it could prove beneficial." Prof. Oak murmured.

"What about the regular Kanto Pokemon? Should I still register them in a Pokedex also?" wondered David.

"Of course, of course. It wouldn't do to not have you aware of the very creatures you will face off against more often than other species. Yes, while searching for any non-Kanto species you should keep track of any Pokemon you see really. Any data, no matter how small, may prove useful down the road." explained Prof. Oak.

"Thank you so much Professor. I promise you now, there's no way I'll let you down. I'll find every migrated Pokemon here in kanto. It's just one more step to becoming strong enough!" David proclaimed.

"Lar Lar Larvi!" said Larvitar.

* * *

**-Scene Change-**

"This here is a Pokedex. It not only provides cursory information over Pokemon you see, but in-depth data if you catch that particular species. It also features a move scanner, which shows the known moves of any captured Pokemon, and a location page." explained Prof. Oak

"What exactly does the location page do?" asked David.

"Well, sometimes it may be hard to locate a particular Pokemon. They might be rare, or extremely elusive. It may just be you're in the completely wrong spot. In the Pokedex, it gives a list of a few known places you may have a chance of finding that Pokemon." Prof. Oak stated.

"Wow, that sounds amazing. Does that work for every single Pokemon?" David said, curiosity laced in his voice.

"Well, the rarer the Pokemon, the lower the chance. Things like Nidoran to Mankey to even Farfetch'd will be found in there. However the chances of finding a location for things like Dratini or Chansey are practically none." Prof. Oak rambled.

"That makes sense. Otherwise people would be flocking there and perhaps catching too many or overwhelming the natural habitats." reasoned David.

"Anyways, like with all new Trainers that I sponsor, you may choose one of the 3 Kanto starter Pokemon. We have Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. They are Fire, Grass, and Water types respectively." Prof. Oak lectured.

David knew exactly who he would choose. He had heard tales of a Charizard's strength. Their indomitable will, colossal physical power, and their dragonlike qualities. He had seen Lance use his before, and the idea of having one of his own made him almost ecstatic.

"I choose Charmander." stated David excitedly.

Reaching out to grab the Poke Ball from the Professor, David opened it and out came a small orange lizard, with a bright red flame on the tip of it's tail. The Pokemon looked around before noticing David and shyly moving closer. It sniffed his hand for a bit before smiling at him.

David returned Charmander before scanning both it's and Larvitar's Poke Ball to see their information.

Charmander was a male it seemed, and happened to know the moves Scratch and Growl. Larvitar was also a male, and knew the moves Bite, Leer, and Sandstorm. Not too bad but it left a lot of room for improvement in David's eyes.

David knew that many of the moves they would learn would come from growing stronger, but a few could be learned on their own given the right training. And David planned to do just that.

"Is there any last minute advice you could give me Professor?" asked David.

"Make sure to train each of your team members in both their strengths and to cover weaknesses. It does not end well to focus only on one particular Pokemon." was Prof. Oak's sage advice.

David could see the logic behind that. It wouldn't do to have one really strong team member and leave the rest to be cannon fodder. David would train all his Pokemon the same, and try to personalize the training as much as he could.

"Well Professor, if there's nothing else I'll take my leave now." David awkwardly stated.

"Good luck on your journey David. If you try hard enough then I don't see why your dreams wouldn't come." exclaimed Prof. Oak.

As David left the Professor, he took the dirt path again same as before. Except this time there was something different about it. It could have been the face he was now a full-fledged Trainer. Or maybe it was that he now had 2 Pokemon that could help preotect him.

Either way, David knew that getting this Charmander was a step in the right direction. He was starting his journey, and he couldn't ask for more.

A:./N I know that my writing isn't the best. I just hope for some criticism


	3. Chapter 3

'Not bad' thought David, as he scanned the lush countryside with a sun high in the sky. He looked around before looking down at Larvitar.

"C'mon now Larvitar, we should get a move on and get to Viridian City. From what I hear, it's only a day's journey and it has the first Pokemon Gym there." said David.

Larvitar just nodded and walked along side David. The pair followed down yet another dirt path that seemed to wind a little on it's way toward Viridian. After maybe a few minutes of walking, the duo hears what sounds like gnawing and biting. Getting curious, they make their way over to some bushes.

Peering through, they come upon one Rattata standing over another lying on the ground. The one standing seemed to have no damage at all on him. Getting excited for his first real battle, David turned towards Larvitar.

"C'mon Larvitar, we can definitely handle a Rattata. You're a Rock type so he should barely even hurt you." explained David.

"Lar Lar!" agreed Larvitar as he got ready.

"Larvitar, use Leer now before he notices us!" ordered David.

As Larvitar jumped out of the bush, it used Leer before it even touched the ground. Rattata gave a start as some figure burst out of a nearby bush. Before it could flee however, it got caught in it's gaze and felt anxious.

"Quick, before it realizes anything take advantage and use Bite!" David said hurriedly. He knew the element of surprise didn't last long and wanted to capitalize on it as much as he could.

Larvitar rushed forward and clamped down on the middle of the Rattata's body. It squealed in pain before thrashing around trying to break free. It squirmed for a few seconds before it's tail whipped around and caught Larvitar in the face, breaking his grip.

The Rattata then ran back a few yards to give itself a chance to recover. It was breathing a bit heavy and seemed angry. After a few seconds it ran towards Larvitar and slammed it's body into him. It didn't do much damage but it did send Larvitar skidding back several feet.

Getting an idea, David yelled "Quick. Use Bite again but this time, grab it's tail. Then when you got him, throw him hard into the tree."

Larvitar sprang forward, and the Rattata was able to scamper away by a hair. Larvitar was determined not to lose and chased after. After a few tries it was clear Rattata was naturally too fast.

"Okay Larvitar calm down. We can't catch up to him so we need to be patient. Wait for him to attack you again. When he rushed forward, side step and then Bite his tail." ordered David.

Larvitar gave a small nod and waited. After a few moments the Rattata gave out a cry as he rushed forward again. Larvitar was a bit too slow and suffered a strong Tackle, sending him flying back a few feet.

The Rattata gave another cry and ran forward, intent on hurting Larvitar. Larvitar was prepared this time, and with quite a bit of precision dodged slightly and used Bite on the tail. The Rattata screeched in pain but before it could register anything, Larvitar snapped his neck to the side and sent the Rattata flying into the tree trunk.

With a loud 'thunk', the Rattata's body slid down the tree and didn't move. If you looked closely you could see it's chest rising, so it was still alive.

For David, the excitement was just too much. He had officially won his first battle. Sure it was some low leveled Rattata, but it still mattered.

"Oh wow Larvitar, you were amazing. I'm sorry I let you get hit but you handled that Rattata like it was nothing. We'll be on our way to the top in no time if we keep this up!" David said exuberantly.

"Lar Larvi Lar!" agreed Larvitar.

"It isn't fair that only you can battle. Since the enemies here are all Normal type, and pretty weak I think we can let Charmander walk with us. That way both of you can get some training in." said David.

David then proceeded to let out Charmander, who gave a large yawn before smiling at David.

"Hey Charmander, we're currently walking to Viridian. We thought you'd like to battle some Pokemon also." explained David

"Char Char." replied Charmander.

The slightly larger group now set out once again on the path. They all pointed out what they found interesting, like the many Pidgey and Spearow above in the trees, and the occasional Rattata pack chasing one another.

For the first time, David truly marveled at how many things in life he'd have missed if he never went on his journey. He was grateful his mother finally relented.

* * *

"PIDGEEE!" shrieked out from nowhere.

It was loud enough to shake David from his thoughts. Looking forward, he saw a Pidgey angrily trying to tear apart the net it was caught under.

David shook his head slightly. There were some people in the world who truly did not care about the health or safety of Pokemon. They would set nets and traps all around in hopes of capturing a rare or strong Pokemon. Obviously, this Pidgey must have fallen prey to this.

"Now, now, Pidgey. Be nice, I'm here to help." soothed David as he got closer.

Pidgey just get thrashing around. When David got to the net, he pulled it off before getting a face full of sand from Pidgey's Sand Attack. It seemed that even though David helped it, it was still furious and was lashing out.

Stumbling back to his Pokemon, David said "Charmander, it's time for a battle!"

Charmander leapt forward and let loose a loud Growl. Pidgey stopped thrashing for a moment to see what happened before it narrowed it's eyes on Charmander. Giving a loud squawk, it took flight and hovered slightly a few yards in front of us.

"Charmander, let's start things off with a nice Scratch attack!" ordered David.

Charmander ran forward and a few feet from the Pidgey he jumped up and swung his claws. Pidgey, however, was in his domain and flapped it's wings to move away. Charmander landed on the ground lightly and was watching the Pidgey like a hawk.

Pidgey then screeched again before dive bombing at Charmander, clearly using Tackle. It picked up speed from the descent but Charmander was able to dodge also.

"Charmander, next time as it turns around to find you chase it and hit it!" said David.

True enough, the Pidgey went for another Tackle. This time, when it missed Charmander ran after it and jumped to meet it. Barely turning around in time, Pidgey was met with a vicious Scratch to the wing. It's flying suddenly become hard to do.

It was obvious Charmander had damaged the wing, if they were lucky it was enough to prevent flight. It wasn't as it seemed though as Pidgey still stayed aloft, though it seemed to struggle to do so. It then screeched again and soared up high. It then proceeded to dive bomb Charmander again. He was too slow this time and got nailed in the stomach.

David made a drastic mistake. David had been operating under the means of Larvitar and his typing. Being a Rock type, Normal type moves would barely leave a mark. Coupled with Larvitar's impressive natural Defense, and things like Tackle barely hurt.

Charmander, however, was a Fire type, and made for quick and strong attacks. It could definitely take hits, and would be even tougher as it evolved. But that didn't mean it could shrug off attacks easily, especially when it was just beginning it's training.

Looking at Charmander, David could see a large bruise forming on his friend's stomach. Clenching his fist at his own stupidity, he quickly said "Okay Charmander we can't have you get hit again. For now, whenever he attacks use a Growl to make him halt slightly and then try to side step or dodge."

Charmander gave a nod and then waited for the Pidgey to attack again. It didn't take long due to Pidgey's current temper. Again he went straight for a strong Tackle. This time, Charmander did as told and used a quick Growl and then dodged. The halt in Pidgey's flight was ample time to dodge the attack.

This kept up for a few more maneuvers before Charmander suddenly decided to try swiping out his claws in an attempt to get a glancing blow in. Most of them missed but it put Pidgey on edge. Suddenly though, Pidgey was sent careening into the ground on the last run through. It seemed Charmander clipped it and threw off it's balance.

"Quick Charmander, don't let up. Go and use Scratch, and attack as much as you can!" yelled David.

Charmander ran forward and landed a Scratch in. It caused a feeble moan to come from Pidgey before it started flapping it's wings trying to fly away. Charmander would have none of that, and jumped up before landing the final Scratch on Pidgey's stomach, causing it to squawk in pain before falling to the floor and just laying there.

"YES, we pulled it off Charmander! We managed to win!" exclaimed David as he jumped around with Charmander just as excited.

"Okay maybe we should try and hurry off to Viridian City. I don't want you getting hurt anymore Charmander until we can train you to maybe be a bit faster or learn a ranged attack. So until we can go to the Pokemon Center, I'll battle with Larvitar." reasoned David.

"Char char charman" replied Charmander.

David returned Charmander before walking forward with Larvitar. He was determined to make it to Viridian before nightfall, since he wanted to get some training in before it got dark. Until his Pokemon got stronger, and he was more confident in his battling skill, he didn't want to risk late night problems.

The duo only encountered two more Pokemon over the next two hours they were walking. It was another Pidgey and Rattata. Larvitar had an easy battle with the Rattata, employing the same strategy as last time. Pidgey gave Larvitar a bit of a problem since it was able to fly. Larvitar though easily took all the hits from Pidgey and returned them with strong Bite attacks.

Needless to say, the Pidgey didn't last long. They had a fairly uneventful walk though. After a few more minutes David and Larvitar made it to the top of a semi-tall hill and saw the gates to Viridian City. Giving a loud cheer, the duo raced down the path.

Walking through the gates, David looked around for a few moments before turning to an older man sitting on a bench.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where the Pokemon Center is?" inquired David.

"Ah, you must be new. All Pokemon Centers are typically the largest buildings in a city or town, and are bright red. You can't really miss them. That said, just walk down this road for a few more blocks and you'll see easy." explained the man.

"Thanks, and have a good day!" replied David

David turned to Larvitar and the two walked off. After a few minutes, they found the Pokemon Center and went inside. They looked around before noticing a counter with a nurse behind it. David walked up to it and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm David Husk. I'm a new trainer and I was wondering if you could heal my Pokemon, and if I could get a room for the night." asked David.

"Of course, young man. My name is Nurse Joy and I'd be happy to help. As a trainer, rooms are free and we can easily heal your Pokemon." she said.

David nodded before returning Larvitar and handing both his and Charmander's Poke Ball over. Nurse Joy took them and put them in a machine. She then turned to David and asked him to wait a few minutes. Nodding, David walked over to a sofa and sat down. After a few moments, he nodded off.

* * *

"Mr. Husk, your Pokemon are fully healed. Please come to the front desk to pick them up." was heard over the intercom, giving David a jump.

He rubbed his eyes before standing and walking over. He thanked Nurse Joy before walking back outside. He released both before looking up at the sky.

"Hey guys. So we made it here at a decent time if I do say so myself. It's about 3 in the afternoon. That gives us several hours to train until it's time for dinner and then we can relax." said David.

"Lar Lar." replied Larvitar

"Char" agreed Charmander.

David then walked with them back outside the gate they came through. Walking through the gates, he looked around before heading about a twenty minute walk away from the city. This was so he didn't disturb anyone hopefully.

"Okay so both of you guys are really strong. But we'll get nowhere far if we don't train. We need to train our physical strength, refine technique to our skills, and become better overall." explained David.

"First thing I think we should work on is individual training. We could go and fight more Wild Pokemon, but I don't want to risk too many injuries and having repeated trips to the Pokemon Center. So for now, Charmander I want you to try Tail Whip. It isn't too difficult and it'll just involve strengthening your tail muscles. The stronger they are, the harder you hit." said David.

"You have a bonus not many Pokemon have though. You have an additional weapon found in the flame on your tail. Not only can you make the tail itself much stronger causing more damage, if you strike them with the tip you can actually cause damage through the fire as well. For now, go practice by whipping your tail into the tree trunk." ordered David.

"Now Larvitar, your tail isn't big enough to really do much damage honestly. For now, focus mostly on your Bite attack. Try to make it as strong as possible. Start by ripping tree branches off, and steadily aiming to rip off the bigger ones at a moderate pace." ordered David.

"However, once you've started to get the bigger branches, or your jaw starts to hurt from the multiple Bite attacks, there is a new attack you can learn. It's quite simple. It's called Mud Slap. You simply find some soil or mud that is slightly damp and use your arms to fling it at the enemy. For now, you just try to get your aim better and try to hit different trees and such." continued David.

David watched them both go off and start their training. They were quite sloppy, and failed repeatedly at first. Charmander smacked his tail in the tree and then started howling in pain. Soon though, David knew his tail would grow tougher, and this wouldn't hurt at all.

Larvitar was able to easily Bite the tree branches. But ripping them was a whole new story. Larvitar needed to try and learn to generate the power to snap his neck left or right to break the branch. For now, David watched as Larvitar feebly held onto the branch simply by his jaw.

David watched them do this for about a half hour before he noticed some improvement. Charmander no longer cried out with each Tail Whip, instead just grunting in pain before continuing. With any lucky he was either getting a better pain tolerance or a stronger tail.

Larvitar was started to crack the branches, but wasn't able to fully break them. It was progress however, and that's what mattered. David didn't expect them to become unstoppable superstars in just a day of training.

Seeing them both trying harder and not giving up, David decided he would join them for now. He wasn't out of shape in the slightest. But he could stand to get a bit more fit. After all, it would only help in the long run while he was out in the wilderness traveling.

Gathering the mindset for himself, he started to run several laps in a circle around the area they were in. He did about fifteen laps before looking over at his team. They were watching him also, but focusing more on their training. They seemed to be improving.

David then took a minute to relax before doing both push ups and sit ups. He even walked over to a branch and started doing some pull ups. At the end his arm muscles were on fire. He took a few more minutes to calm down before he went and found a medium sized rock and laid on his back. He then used the rock to balance on his feet and started lifting it with his leg muscles only.

By the time he finished, he was exhausted and came back to his team. He was shocked with their improvement. Larvitar was now able to snap off tree branches that were about 4 inches in diameter. Not too shabby if David voiced his opinion. Larvitar and recently wandered off and found some mud. He was now trying to aim his flinging at a tree, and being only mildly successful.

Charmander on the other hand had major improvement. He no longer cried out when his tail hit the train. David couldn't even see a wince on his face when it made contact. He also started leaving tiny dents in the bark, maybe about a half an inch deep at most. That was still a dramatic improvement since the past 2 hours though.

"Hey guys come on back we should talk." called out David.

The two Pokemon's ears perked up before the slowly made their way over. It was obvious they were both tired, and David smacked himself for forgetting that these were two Pokemon who were new to the whole training and battling lifestyle.

"Listen up. You've made really great progress. Larvitar, I've noticed your Bite attack seems much stronger, and you've started Mud Slap. Nice job." complemented David.

"Lar Lar" thanked Larvitar.

"And you Charmander. You've done a great job Your tail seems a lot tougher. You aren't even wincing anymore. I feel bad for any Rattata that get caught by it. How exactly did it you get it to stop hurting?" asked David.

"Char char charmander Char Charmander." said Charmander.

"Right. Well I honestly couldn't really understand the words. But by the body movements can I assume you stopped just thwacking your tail and actually tried it as a move?" guessed David.

"Char…." agreed Charmander.

It was obvious Charmander felt as if he wasted his time trying to even explain it. Still though, David would try his best to come to understand his team. They were his new family after all.

"Alright let's head back to town. I know we're all hungry and tired. I haven't worked out like that in a long time. I didn't feel it right to make you guys work and me sit there." explained David.

The group made their way back to the city, where they would check in to the Center to heal and then head out to eat.

As David's head hit the pillow that night, he knew that today was just the start of the beginning of his new life.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys so what's up. This chapter is much longer than my others, and it'll probably continue to be this length or more from now on. The beginning ones were mainly to move plot along.

For David doing exercise along with them, realistically Ash and his group must be in good shape. They constantly hike and walk through tough and intense terrain. If people were traveling like that, they'd eventually get fit. I'm choosing to have David start now, so that he isn't as exhausted when it comes for it to get harder to travel.

In regards to Tail Whip, I envision it exactly how I said. Hitting something with your tail, using your tail muscles. I think the transition from simply twisting your body and using your muscles, is when you start to apply the internal energy all Pokemon wield. When it is applied to the tail, the tail will strengthen a bit and start to actually deal a bit of damage.

In regards to Growl, Leer, and Tail Whip. Yes in the games they are simply moves to raise or lower stats. But think about it realistically. If a Charizard used a Tail Whip on a Pikachu, we can expect it to go absolutely flying. So moves in here will be on the realistic sense, not the gaming sense.

And no, David won't be some kind of win-all, catch-all, be-all kind of trainer. He battled 2 Wild Pokemon. With 2 naturally strong Pokemon. He isn't a tactical genius, and he'll slowly get better at battling as he journeys. Also, his team I already have planned and I won't spoil it for anyone. Just keep in mind that their final evolutions may not be seen until after the League and such. It just would seem overpowered.


	4. Chapter 4

David had gotten up early today, seeing as he wanted to get a head start. He knew that while his team made some progress yesterday it would be nowhere near enough for their eventual battle against Brock. The man wielded Rock types, with many of them having a Ground as a secondary type.

That alone meant everything Brock would use would be able to hit either Larvitar or Charmander hard. Until Charmander became a Charizard and obtained wings, things like Ground moves would seriously hurt him.

As David finished his morning routine of brushing his teeth and showering, he changed quickly before running out of the Center. He once again left the city limits, but this time he headed west. After maybe ten minutes of walking he came upon the gate. Quickly moving, he made his way down the road, about half a mile from the city.

Releasing his two friends, he started explaining the training for the day.

"Good morning guys. Today, we're going to finish up the training from yesterday. I hope to be finished by noon so that we can battle some Wild Pokémon and test our new moves. If we finish at a decent time today, we can probably make it through Viridian Forest and stay the night in Pewter." said David.

They both nodded and proceeded a good distance away from each other. Charmander once again started to strengthen his tail while Larvitar proceeded to use Mud-Slap. They both seemed to do much better after a night of rest. Maybe battling and training really tired them out, more than a trip to the Nurse Joy could heal.

David also did his exercises too. Once again he proceeded to do his laps and such. When he was finally finished, he walked back over and saw his team. Charmander had finally perfected Tail Whip, and seemed to be leaving nice indents in the tree bark.

Larvitar definitely had the accuracy of his move down; he was just learning to fling the mud a little harder. It was definitely battle ready though.

"Alright guys let's try to find a nice opponent for you guys. We should find plenty here." said David.

The duo nodded and followed him. It took a little bit of searching but they came across a Spearow that seemed to be resting in a tree. Taking advantage, David gave a quick order to Larvitar who ran at the tree and hit it, knocking the Spearow off.

"Alright Larvitar. Now, before it orients itself, use Leer and then follow it with a Bite." ordered David.

Larvitar nodded and gave a fierce look at the Spearow, before launching forward and clamping his mouth around the Spearow's body. The Spearow squawked before starting to Peck at Larvitar.

David knew that the Flying move would do little to Larvitar, so he then had him test out their training.

"Now, fling him into the tree as hard as you can, just like we practiced!" exclaimed David.

The Spearow proceeded to fly through the air, but not of its own power. Colliding hard with the trunk, it slowly got up before yelling its name and flying toward Larvitar. This time, it hit with both its beak and its wings.

'That's most likely Fury Attack. It isn't too strong but it'll start to hurt, time to end this.' thought David.

"Finish it Larvitar! Use another Bite." ordered David.

Larvitar timed and caught the Spearow perfectly in his mouth again. The Spearow screeched and went limp, soundly defeated. Larvitar then put the body on the ground before running back to David, clearly happy at his victory.

"Great job" David said as he smiled. "Now it's Charmander's turn."

The group started searching again. Unfortunately it seemed as if the battle had scared away a lot of the Pokémon. David knew, however, that Viridian Forest was full of Bug and Flying type Pokémon. That meant that both Charmander and Larvitar would resist or outright beat the majority of enemies found there.

"Okay listen, most likely we aren't going to find anything here. This area usually has Nidoran and Pidgey, and both are more likely to flee than battle. So we won't be seeing any of them soon. Let's head back to Viridian, and then go to Viridian Forest." said David.

They walked back at a moderate pace, having a bit of hope that maybe they'd run across a Pokémon, but to no avail. It seemed everything was hiding or perhaps even still asleep. It was only maybe an hour or two after sunrise.

Arriving back in town shortly, David made his way to the Pokémon Center to thank Nurse Joy and to quickly give one last heal to his team. After a few minutes of waiting he got them back, and then proceeded to the Poke Mart.

"Alright so I think we'd definitely need some Potions. Antidotes are also high on priority since many of the Bugs can poison us. I also heard a few Pikachu live in the forest so maybe two or three Paralyze Heals too." reasoned David.

Making the purchases, and putting a decent dent in his meager funds, David proceeded to the north and out of the city limits. It was a short while to the forest, maybe about a half hour of walking. They found a Caterpie along the way, working its way toward a tree, but a quick Scratch from Charmander knocked it out in one hit.

'That was extremely easy, easier than expected. Maybe that Caterpie just hatched or something' thought David.

Coming upon the beginning of the forest, David and his team looked out among the dozens upon dozens of trees that composed the Viridian Forest.

The Viridian Forest was actually a great test for new trainers starting in the western part of Kanto. It was one of the first sections of wilderness that required more than a day to traverse. Most routes only took up to a day at most if you kept to a moderately fast pace.

Viridian Forest was massive, and the many winding paths could lead to you getting lost. It was more long than wide, so the safer route would always be to skirt the edges since you'd eventually wrap around to the other side. But most of the Pokémon and fellow trainers could be found deeper inside.

Due to the fact that many Bug species tended to live in hives or clusters, it meant that often times they outnumbered your Pokémon about 3 to 1. Thankfully they were usually weak, both offensively and defensively. The only real issue came from the fully evolved leaders, and the fact they could poison you in a variety of ways.

All these coupled together meant that there was no other obstacle that matched this, excluding Mt. Moon. Trainers who managed to make it through were deemed able to travel in the entire region. It was a stepping stone to larger and more dangerous terrains.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, David then nodded at his team before they started to follow one of the winding paths into the forest. David knew that the paths would split and merge together again several times. David also held a compass however, and while he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he would be inside the forest, he just had to follow north.

After all, it technically was a straight line from south to north to head to Pewter. He might not come out of the forest directly in front of the stone city, but he'd at least be within walking distance of it hopefully.

"Keep on the lookout everyone. I know you want to battle and prove your strength, but play it smart. We shouldn't challenge any of the fully evolved Pokémon, lest we anger the entire swarm or hive. And make sure to try not to cause too much damage to the landscape. Last thing we need is to cause a forest fire." David said, although he muttered the last sentence more to himself.

Charmander and Larvitar both nodded before beginning to scan the trees as they walked. It was pretty uneventful, but if one stayed quiet they could hear the sounds of light buzzing and the rustle of leaves as the numerous Bug types crawled across them.

'Nature itself, undisturbed, is quite beautiful' thought David, before Charmander giving a small cry tore him from his thoughts.

In front of him was another Caterpie. This one looked much bigger than the one from earlier in the morning. It was obvious this one was older, and was practically huge for its species. It probably was close to evolving, which would explain the increased size.

"Alright let's do a quick battle. Charmander, I want you to use Growl to scare it and then use Tail Whip. Since it's a Bug, let the flame on the end strike it." ordered David.

Charmander nodded before exploding into action, and landed a strong blow against the Caterpie. It screeched and flew through the air, a large burn mark clearly seen on its side. As it landed on the dirt, it slowly got up before shooting a String Shot at Charmander.

Not expecting the sudden attack, it struck Charmander dead center. And while it did no damage, it did prevent him from moving. After struggling for a bit, Charmander decided physical strength was getting him nowhere, so he used his tail to burn the goo off slowly. After a minute he as free once again.

Caterpie, however, didn't remain idle in the time it had. It had begun to crawl away but as it saw Charmander breaking through the webbing, he looked up and spat a light String Shot around himself, forming a cocoon. The cocoon then started to glow and after a few seconds the light got really intense before dying off, leaving a bright green Metapod sitting where Caterpie once was.

Charmander looked a bit surprised before rushing it once again, intent on finishing the Bug. At the last second however, Metapod used String Shot on the ground to root itself before letting it get hit by the Scratch.

Due to being anchored, along with its decent defense, it suffered little damage. It then replied with a Tackle, but it was poorly executed and Charmander lost practically no health. Charmander then reared back and let loose a small ball of fire from its mouth. This hit the Metapod square in the face and proceeded to knock it out.

"Alright Charmander! You did wonderful! You even learned Ember. That was impressive, but we can work on the speed and power of it at a later time. Still though, we have a lot of work ahead of us." congratulated David.

Charmander puffed his chest in pride before joining the rest of the group and walking away. As they walked they came across a few more Caterpie and Weedle. They even managed to see some Spinarak, which was weird as it was typically native to Johto.

"Well, Professor Oak said to look for weird migration patterns and this qualifies. I think I'll catch one and send it to the Center immediately." said David.

After catching one, they moved on and kept soldiering through the thick forest, ducking under branches and stepping on leaves. As they kept encountering more Caterpie and Weedle, with Larvitar and Charmander making quick work of them, it was easy to see they got tired.

"Alrighty, let's stop for lunch now. It seems to be about noon." said David.

Charmander and Larvitar both agreed hurriedly and waited patiently for their food. David poured each of them a bowl of food before eating a sandwich and granola bar himself. It wasn't much or the most flavorful, but he was living on a Trainer budget. A newbie Trainer at that.

After taking a half hour to eat and rest for a bit, they continued their trek north. They still saw the usual Bug types, but now there were a few Metapod scattered throughout. They honestly had only battled maybe five or six each, deciding to skip a large portion of Pokémon they saw.

David was a bit paranoid on accidently angering a hive so he chose only to battle Pokémon who seemed completely alone and isolated. It was safer this way, at least until his team was strong enough to handle an entire swarm of enemies.

It was a pretty monotonous day in all honesty. There wasn't a single rare or strong Bug type to be found inside the entire forest it seemed, and all the Pikachu must have been good at hiding. David found himself wishing for some excitement, but nothing was to be found.

The group walked along the paths heading north for a few more hours. And once again, it was a couple more battles for each of them. In one of the battles Larvitar released a dull Screech attack that was more akin to angry buzzing. David knew that it would take some practice but could be useful.

Charmander had started breathing heavily and David noticed a white-gray cloud of ash seemed to escape from his mouth. Charmander had seemed to start to learn Smokescreen also, which made David really happy. Operating under the cover of a smokescreen would make battles swing in his favor.

It was starting to be sunset when David went to look for a nice clearing for him and his team to make camp under. David was going to have them sleep outside their Poke Balls tonight, since he wanted to make sure that they were nearby in case of an incident during the night.

"Let's make camp here for the night. It's been a bit of a long day, and I know you both must be hungry." said David.

After giving them both their food, David made his own. Tonight it seemed to be more sandwiches and some soup. A simple, but filling dinner.

"So, I noticed you both learned some new attacks today. Larvitar, you seemed to unleash a Screech attack but it wasn't near strong enough for battle. We can fix that though, easily." assured David.

"As for you Charmander, you learned both Ember and Smokescreen today. To learn two attacks today must mean you got stronger much quicker than expected. Good job, and we'll work on the moves once we get to Pewter City." explained David.

* * *

They ate in silence, all of them drained from the day's journey. As they were setting up camp, however, David noticed a person wandering into the clearing. He was a young man, perhaps a few years younger than David himself.

He had on a simple shirt and shorts, and a large straw hat. Carrying a few Poke Balls, and a much oversized bug net, David realized this must be the infamous Bug Catchers.

Bug Catchers were known all over world. They chose to raise only Bug types on their teams, and many of them stuck to the fast evolving lines native to each region. Things like Caterpie and Weedle would be seen commonly. The rare one here and there had a Heracross, Scyther, or even Pinsir.

"Hey." called out David. "Would you like to have a battle? I'm kinda bored here but I don't want to go to sleep just yet."

"Sure. My name is Jeff. How many Pokémon should we use?" asked Jeff.

"How does a two on two sound?" probed David.

"Okay then. Go Kakuna!" called out Jeff.

Larvitar ran forward first, beating Charmander to the punch. He jumped around a bit to loosen up his muscles, and then looked forward with a smirk.

"Alright, let's start off with Leer and Mud-Slap!" ordered David.

Larvitar gave a fierce look at the Kakuna before it started to use Mud-Slap. Kakuna, however, wasn't affected by the Leer and instead used Poison Sting. Luckily, the mud seemed to stop the needles, but it stopped after hitting them.

Gritting his teeth, David knew they'd have to rely on close combat to take Kakuna down. Larvitar just didn't have the raw strength behind his attacks to punch through other attacks yet.

"Okay, let's try a small Screech and then rush in for a Bite. Our usual plan should work!" commanded David.

Larvitar nodded and did as told. The low buzzing seemed to throw off the Kakuna slightly, making his second Poison Sting fly slightly to the left off target. David knew that as a Rock type, it'd barely hurt. But that wasn't the concern. It was becoming poisoned that left them cautious.

Larvitar managed to land his Bite on the center of Kakuna's body, and seemed to clench his jaw before snapping his neck and sending it flying into a tree. The tree remained unforgiving and Kakuna slowly slid down. Before Jeff could react though, Larvitar dashed forward and tried to ram his head into Kakuna.

It connected and Kakuna went flying once more, this time landing in the dirt and making a small indent in the ground. It was clear Kakuna was knocked out.

"YES! Okay you've had your fun, now its Charmander's turn. And we'll be working on that Headbutt soon." said David.

Charmander ran out onto the field as Jeff recalled his Kakuna and sent out a Pineco, of all things. David definitely wasn't expecting this. They were in Kanto, but then again he himself had a Larvitar.

Going straight on the offensive, Charmander starting with an Ember. The small ball of fire traveled at a moderate pace before connecting with Pineco. David stared as Jeff made no move to order him to dodge. He shrugged, and decided it'd be an easy win.

"Charmander, go use Tail Whip and try to burn him!" ordered David.

Charmander ran forward and swung his tail, and managed to connect. Pineco took a lot of damage, but suddenly Pineco glowed a bright white before a loud cry escaped its move and it rammed into Charmander so fast it seemed a blur.

Charmander went absolutely flying, and ended up slamming into a tree himself. Confused as to what attack could possibly do that, David was baffled.

"Uhhhh, Jeff. What exactly just happened?" inquired David.

"I knew you'd go straight to attacking. So as I released Pineco I told it to use Bide. Since you did two strong moves, the damage was roughly doubled and released back onto Charmander." explained Jeff.

David was just nodding slowly to himself, before looking towards Charmander. It seemed to struggle to stand up, but slowly made his way to his feet. Looking like he might drop after a solid hit, David played it safe.

"Let's do this smart. Stick to ranged and just bombard it with Ember. Don't risk getting close again." said David.

Jeff, who looked surprised Charmander even got up, just sighed and waited for the attacks.

Charmander let loose another two Embers, with both connecting in rapid succession. This sufficiently wiped out the Pineco, and Jeff returned it.

"Jeff, why didn't you have Pineco try to dodge or attack back?" asked David again.

"Pineco only has physical moves right now, and I was placing all my faith on Bide. I knew you'd do a lot of damage, but I didn't think Charmander would be getting back up. When you stayed and attacked from a range, I knew it was over." reasoned Jeff.

David nodded before thanking him for the battle, accepting the money, and proceeding to administer Potions to his team.

"You guys did great. I was just as surprised about that Bide attack as you. We won't let it happen again. I promise." vowed David, as he finished up.

The group made their way to their clearing before setting up their sleeping tent. David crawled inside, completely exhausted, and with his Pokémon near him.

He knew he had a long way to go, but this forest wasn't as bad as he heard. 'Then again,' he mused 'I do have two Pokémon who have a great type advantage.' With that, David nodded off to sleep, with his Pokémon gently sleeping next to him.

**A/N:**

Hey. So let me clarify a few things. Number one is, the Pokémon won't have that stupid 4 move limit from the game. But their old moves will be replaced by their stronger forms. Such as Scratch with Slash, Ember with Flamethrower, and such.

David is traveling with both guys out now, yes. But this is only until he gets a bigger team. For now, he wants to form tight bonds with these two.

I'll give a hint and say he's about to catch an Electric type after reaching Pewter, but before Brock. Kudos if you figure it out.

I know I'm not making much travel progress in the story, but I prefer taking it slow in the beginning. Once he's been a trainer for a while, and can train easily while on the road, he won't spend so much time in towns or such.

I only give such details about training since once I establish the regimen I'll just start referencing it in the story.


End file.
